Wendelin Van Draanen
By Tom Keener
Wendelin Van Draanen, winner of the 1999 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Juvenile for her book Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief, visits the Allen Public Library at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, February 25. Van Draanen's most recent book in the series, Sammy Keyes and the Night of Skulls, was published in 2011.
Sponsored by ALLen Reads, this program is free.
In 2004-2005 Van Draanen wrote a four-book series for younger readers called Shredderman, about a boy who assumes a secret identity to help him win the battle for truth and justice. Like all the other kids, shy Nolan Byrd is bullied by Bubba Bixby. Mr. Green, allows the students to do a computer project, Nolan, who has a particular knack with technology, decides to catch Bubba in action. The made-for-television movie "Shredderman Rules” was based on this series.
Flipped (2001) is a novel about two eighth-graders who start to have feelings for each other despite being total opposites. This was made into a film directed by Rob Reiner in 2010.
Van Draanen hopes to leave her readers with a sense that they have the ability to steer their own destiny, that individuality is strength, and that where there is fortitude, there is a path.
Van Draanen lives in California with her husband Mark Parsons and two sons, Colton and Connor. She is the daughter of chemists who emigrated to the U.S. from Holland. She worked as a high school math teacher and computer science teacher before writing became her career.
Storyopolis Entertainment will offer Ms. Van Draanen’s books for purchase to be personally inscribed by the author.
The library is located at 300 N. Allen Dr. For moiré information, call 214-509-4911.
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